Fantasy Profile: Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether it’s keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

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FANTASY PROFILE: BRYCE HARPER, OF, WASHINGTON NATIONALS

LWOS Ranking 16, Captains’ Value: $16.00

Bryce Harper is one of the bright young stars in the game today but has struggled to stay on the field consistently the last two seasons. After his N.L. Rookie of the Year season in 2012 where he put up a slash line of .270/.340/.477 with 22 HR and 18 SB, it looked like the sky was the limit for the kid out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple injuries and stints on the DL though, have partially limited Harper.

The injuries that happened to Bryce Harper were just bad luck, plain and simple. They were the result of, in my opinion, a young and feisty ball player who was just playing the game the way he knew how. In May of 2013, Harper was tracking a fly ball in right centerfield when he crashed into the wall injuring his knee. That put him on the DL for 31 games and he eventually received surgery in the off-season. He actually had a good year in 2013 despite the injury, slashing .274/.368/.486 with 20 HR and 11 SB in 118 games. Then in April of 2014, Harper was sliding head first into 3B when he tore a ligament in his thumb. Surgery followed and Harper ended up missing 57 games. That is 88 games missed out of a possible 324.

Like I stated before, I believe the injuries were bad luck and hopefully Harper has volunteered at a homeless shelter or adopted some puppies to make sure karma is on his side this season. Just kidding. All jokes aside though, if he can stay healthy and bring his usual fierceness and talent to the ballpark everyday, I see no reason why he can’t finish as a top 15 fantasy player.

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